Tiny Dog Survives Brutal Beating, Finds Home with Volunteer

Eva Podietz is one of the ASPCA’s most dedicated volunteers. Scores of ASPCA animals have benefited from Eva’s care, and the most recent addition to Eva’s furry family is Bentley, a little Shih Tzu who suffered immensely before starting his new life.

Bentley came to us after a devastating kick to the head that left him with a dangerous brain hemorrhage, broken jaw and a broken skull, threatening to destroy his tiny brain stem. He could barely stand or move his legs.

Any sudden movements could have killed Bentley in those early days. ASPCA veterinarians provided critical head trauma care, medications to reduce fluid build-up in his brain, and comprehensive pain management. Our hospital staff could tell that Bentley was a fighter. He survived those initial days. Then the first two weeks. As soon as he could, Bentley began lifting his neck and wagging his tail to greet staffers. And one day, Bentley began to regain use of his legs!

But Bentley was still a bit scared of people, and he wasn’t eating as well as they’d hoped. They placed him in foster care with Eva, and he quickly gained a pound and started to open up. “After a month it was clear it was an adoption, not a foster,” Eva tells us. Now he is showered with love, attends doggy daycare and, despite everything he’s been through, “doesn’t seem to hold a grudge.”

Bentley isn’t Eva’s first ASPCA rescue. Back in 2006, Cloudy came to us severely matted and suffering from multiple infections. He was also blind and had several back problems. We knew he needed a special home, and he found it with Eva, who has given him the best life possible. That’s why we’re extra glad to see Bentley earn a spot in such a wonderful home.

“They’re the ASPCA’s dogs; I’m just their caretaker,” Eva jokes. “They’ve got lots of admirers and people who love them at the ASPCA. And everywhere! But especially at the A.”